MINISTRY Min"is*try, n.; pl. Ministries. Etym: [L. ministerium. See Minister, n., and cf. Mystery a trade.]
1. The act of ministering; ministration; service. "With tender ministry." Thomson.
2. Hence: Agency; instrumentality. The ordinary ministry of second causes. Atterbury. The wicked ministry of arms. Dryden.
3. The office, duties, or functions of a minister, servant, or agent; ecclesiastical, executive, or ambassadorial function or profession.
4. The body of ministers of state; also, the clergy, as a body.
5. Administration; rule; term in power; as, the ministry of Pitt.
MINISTRYSHIP
Min"is*try*ship, n.
Defn: The office of a minister. Swift.
MINIUM Min"i*um, n. Etym: [L. minium, an Iberian word, the Romans getting all their cinnabar from Spain; cf. Basque armineá.] (Chem.)
Defn: A heavy, brilliant red pigment, consisting of an oxide of lead, Pb3O4, obtained by exposing lead or massicot to a gentle and continued heat in the air. It is used as a cement, as a paint, and in the manufacture of flint glass. Called also red lead.